Separator



Nov. 13, 1923.

R. M. OSTERMANN SEPARAT OR Filed April 14, 1922 5P7. ark/07m rm, INVENTOR BY \/%'MZ ATTORNEY Patented on. 13, I923.

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RUDOLF M. OSTERMANN, F EVANBTON, ILLINOIE, ABSIGNOIQE TO THE @UFHEATER COMPANY, OF YORK, N. Y.

SEPARATQR.

Application filed April M, 1922. serial Ito. $52,449.

To all whom it maconcern:

Be it known t at I, Robot]? M. Os'rnn- MANN, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Evanston, Illinois. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Separators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to separators and articularly to those used to separate oil rom steam exhausted from engines. Under some circumstances, e. g., where such steam is to be used for the purpose of heating boiler feed water, and especially if it is to be allowed to mingle with the feed water for this purpose, it is desirable to free the steam from oil and grease carried with it from the valve chest and cylinder. By way of illustration I shall describe my invention in connection with an exhaust steam injector on a locomotive, but it will be understood that I contemplate application of the invention in other places. Its use is in fact possible wherever exhaust steam is used or disposed of in a way that makes it desirable to separate from it any oil it carries, as for example in exhaust steam injectors, surface condensers, jet condensers, and feed water heaters of either open or closed type.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying sheet of drawings where F ig.

1 illustrates in side elevation a locomotive with my invention installed; Fig. 2 gives an enlarged sectional view of a portion of my improvement; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The locomotive shown by way of illustration in Fig. 1 may be of any ordinary type and has the usual general equipment.

to Water is fed to the boiler by the exhaust steam injector 1 which draws it from the tender 2 by way of pipe 3. The exhaust steam to operate the injector 1 comes through pipe 4 from the steam chest. as Neither the steam nor the water reach the injector 1 directly but both pass through the separator 5. After passing through this separator the water is conveyed to the injector by the pipe 6 and the steam by the co 1 e p The separator is shown more distinctly in Figs. 2 and 3. In the former it should be observed it is shown in a reverse position from that in which it appears in Fig. 1. In other words, the pipe 4 (Fig. 1) is attached to the connection 8 (Fig. 2) and the pipe 7 (F g. 1) is attached to the connection 9 (Fig. 2). There are two practically separated chambers in the separator through the lower of which, 10, the exhaust steam flows, while in the upper 11, there is located a corrugated duct 12 through which the water flows on its way to the injector. The steam reaching the lower chamber 10 by way of the inlet 8 impinges against the corrugated transversely extending plate 13, the lower end of which terminates short of the bottom of the chamber. Flowing around the lower end. of this plate 13 the steam reaches the outlet 9 of the separator. Thepassage It establishes communication between the upper chamber 11 and the lower chamber 10. Extending through the upper chamber 11 but not opening into it, there is the corrugated duct or passage 12. This it will be observed has two branches which are connected with each other by the return bend 15. Water from pipe 3 enters one of the branches of 12, flows through it, through the return bend 15, through the second branch of 12, and so out to pipe 6. The bottom of the chamber 10 is provided with a similar outlet 16. This may terminate adjacent to the track or in any other convenient or desired location.

The corrugations of the plate 13 are illustrated more clearly in Fig. 4:. They need not be of any particular description or size, billlt may be given any practicahconvenient s ape.

' It is a known fact that particles of oil carried in a stream of steam are more easily separated from this steam by means of plates against which the steam is caused to impinge if these plates are kept moistened. I as make use of this fact in my invention but do not claim itper se. The mechanism I have described above provides the moisture necessary to keep the plate 13 wet in a convenient an economical manner. Some of the steam 10o reaching the lower chamber passes through the opening 14 into the upper chamber and comes into contact with the corru ated surface of the duct 12. This duct is ept comparatively cool by the feed water which we comes directly from the tender. The condensate resulting from this contact of the steam with the cool surface gathers in the lower part of the chamber 11 and trickles down over plate 13. Particles of oil in sus- 110 pension in the steam impinge against the plate 13. adhere to the wet surface, and flow down the plate together with this water of condensation. The mixture collects in the lower portion of chamber 10 and is allowed to flow out through pipe 16. This pipe is comparatively ,small and as the pressure of the exhaust steam is never considerable.the small leakage occurring here is of no consequence. The condensation of part of the exhaust steam for the purpose mentioned does not involve any economic loss since the heat is imparted directly to the water flowing to the injector and thence to the. boiler." 'lhis heat is, therefore, actually saved.

It will be obvious that the inventive idea shown in an illustrative-form in the drawings and above described can be given a somewhat varying form without losing its identity. Such variations will occur particularly when'the invention is used in some of the other relations above referred to.

'hat I claim is:

1.. In apparatus of the class described the combination of an injector working: with exhaust steam. an oil separator having communicatiug upper and lower chaml'iers, batflinp means in the lower chamber, cooling means adapted to condense steam in the upper chamber. the arrangement being such .that the condensate formed in the upper chamber moistens the battling means in the lower chamber. means to carry exhaust steam to the separator and to convey it from the separator to the injector, and means to circulate water on its way to the injector through the cooling means in the upper chamber.

2. In apparatus of the class described the combination of an exhaust steam injector, a

bi-chambered separator through one chamber of which steam flows on its way to the injector, battling means in said chamber, cooling; means in the second chamber through which the water flows on its way tothe injector, and means whereby steam from the first chamber enters the second, and whereby condensate formed in the second chamber flows over the battling means in the first chamber.

3. ln apparatus of the class described, the combination of a device transferring heat from exhaust steam to water, an oil separator through which the steam is carried on its way to said device, said oil separator having means to bathe the steam on its way through it, and means to keep said battling means moist comprising means to condense a portion of the exhaust steam by bringing it into contact with a wall cooled by the water on its Way to the heattransferring device and allowing the resulting condensate to. flow over the baffling means.

4. In an oil separator the combination of communicatingupper and lower chambers, battling means in the lower chamber and means to keep the battling means wet, said means comprising a water conduit :1 portion of the outside of whose wall comes into contact with the steam in the upper chamher.

5. In an oil separator the combination of communicating upper and lower chambers, baflling means in the lower chamber and means to keep the battling means Wet, said means comprising a water conduit a portion of which extends through the upper chamber.

RUDOLF M. OSTERMANN. 

